News Roundup 29 October 2024
Oct 29, 2024 • 6 min Read
Duterte tells Senate: I have a death squad | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday confessed to keeping a seven-member “death squad” that had carried out his orders to liquidate criminals when he was mayor of Davao City, an anticrime strategy that his critics believed was the prototype of the drug war that he had implemented throughout his six-year presidency.
Facing for the first time an inquiry into his administration’s brutal crackdown on narcotics, an unapologetic Duterte also admitted that he had goaded police to “encourage” crime suspects to fight back to justify their killing, incidents that were later referred to as “nanlaban” cases.
The 79-year-old former leader casually spoke about the kill orders that he supposedly gave out to his hit men, but insisted that all liabilities relating to his antidrug policy should fall only on his shoulders.
Replying to questions from Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Duterte initially said the senior police officials who had headed the Davao police station were actually members of the dreaded “Davao Death Squad” (DDS), including Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.
He, however, quickly backpedaled, claiming he never instructed officers of the Philippine National Police, particularly graduates of the Philippine Military Academy, to take out criminals.
“I have a death squad. It has seven members. But they are not police officers. They are gangsters,” Duterte told Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, chair of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee.
Full Story at: Duterte tells Senate: I have a death squad
Escudero rejects Duterte claim on crime rate | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippine s — Senate President Francis Escudero on Tuesday debunked former president Rodrigo Duterte’s claim that crimes have become more rampant in the country.
Escudero, during the Kapihan sa Senado forum, said the crime index from 2016 to 2018 is at least 60 percent higher compared to most recent data.
“Ang datos sinumite sa Senado ay crime index [mula] July 1, 2016 [hanggang] April 21, 2018 ay 196,518. July 1, 2022 to April 21, 2024 – 71,544. Mas mataas ang krimen noong panahong ‘yon nung 2016 to 2018 ng 60 percent — halos triple,” said Escudero.
(Data submitted to the Senate showed that the crime index from July 1, 2016 to April 21, 2018 was 196,518; From July 1, 2022 to April 21, 2024, it was 71,544. Data from 2016 to 2018 is 60 percent higher, almost triple.)
Later in the forum, Escudero was asked if this means that more killings transpired during the Duterte administration, which began in 2016.
“Kasi nga hindi mo pwedeng hindi bilangin yung patayan. Krimen pa rin yun e. Extrajudicial killing nga e it’s a crime. Hindi mo pwedeng hindi bilangin yun sa crime index,” said Escudero.
(You cannot exclude the killings. It’s still a crime. Extrajudicial killing is a crime. You cannot exclude such in counting the number of crimes.)
Escudero said he had the data checked because he got curious after resource persons at the Senate’s drug war probe claimed that it was safer during the Duterte administration.
Full Story at: Escudero rejects Duterte claim on crime rate
House drug war probe to look into Rodrigo Duterte’s confidential, intel funds | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — If former President Rodrigo Duterte attends the House Quad Committee’s next hearing on the extrajudicial killings of his war on drugs, he may be questioned about how he utilized the confidential funds during his term.
Rep. Dan Fernandez (Santa Rosa, Lone District), one of the mega-panel’s co-chairs, was asked by reporters on Tuesday, October 29, whether the investigation will touch on Duterte’s confidential funds as president.
He said that it is a topic the Quad Comm co-chairmen have to discuss.
“‘So, ‘yun pa ‘yung isa sa tinitingnan natin ngayon pagdating po sa intel fund, I think the members and the chairman will really have to talk about this intel fund,” Fernandez said at a press conference.
(So, that’s another thing we’re looking into regarding the intel fund. I think the members and the chairman will really need to discuss this intel fund.)
According to the General Appropriations Act, the Office of the President under Duterte was allocated around P21.517 billion in confidential, intelligence and extraordinary funds from 2016 to 2022. This is broken down into:
- 2016: 517 million
- 2017 to 2019: 2.5 billion each
- 2020 to 2022: 4.5 billion each
These funds are intended for activities related to national security, including surveillance and information gathering of military officials.
In further analyzing the confidential and intelligence funds that Duterte spent, Fernandez said the four-committee panel may discover its connection to the “Davao Model,” or the alleged reward system that incentivized police officers to kill drug suspects.
“Makikita natin ‘yung daloy ng pera mula doon sa intel fund papunta kay ‘Muking,’ papunta kay Peter Parungo na dinala sa Metrobank, BPI, PSBank,” he said.
(We can see the flow of money from the intel fund to ‘Muking,’ then to Peter Parungo, which was transferred to Metrobank, BPI and PSBank.)
Retired police colonel Royina Garma revealed to House lawmakers that the reward system was primarily managed by resigned National Police Commission Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo and his subordinates, which include a certain Peter Parungo.
Full Story at: House drug war probe to look into Rodrigo Duterte’s confidential, intel funds | Philstar.com
Supreme Court blocks transfer of Philhealth funds to nat’l treasury | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court on Tuesday, October 29, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the transfer of the remaining unused funds of the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) to the national treasury.
In a press briefing, Supreme Court spokesperson Camille Ting said the respondents of the third petition against the fund transfer are also ordered to comment on the petition.
“The Court further required the Office of the Clerk of Court En Banc to personally serve the Court’s resolution on the respondents, who shall likewise file and serve their comments,” Ting said.
With the issuance of the restraining order, the remaining P29.9 billion, expected to be transferred in November, will remain in the coffers of the state-run health insurance agency.
The first tranche of unused funds, amounting to P20 billion, was transferred on May 10, followed by the second tranche of P10 billion on August 21.
The third tranche, totaling P30 billion, was transferred on October 16.
In an interview with Philstar.com on October 16, human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares, one of the petitioners, said the amount already transferred to the national treasury could be returned to PhilHealth if the high court issues a status quo ante order.
A status quo ante order is an order that a court issues to return a situation or state of affairs that existed previously.
Ting said it is still possible for the court to tackle the matter of a status quo ante order.
Full Story at: Supreme Court blocks transfer of Philhealth funds to nat’l treasury | Philstar.com
